As Bus Ridership Goes Up, Funding Goes Down
Posted by Administrator (admin) on Jun 16 2008 at 9:45 AM
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The County Connection                                     Date: June 12, 2008

Concord, CA 94520-5327                                     (925) 676-1976 x204

2477 Arnold Industrial Way                                              Contact: Mary Burdick

www.cccta.org                                                  For Release: Immediately

Concord, Calif. – Like transit agencies across the nation, County Connection has been pleased to see the number of people making the switch to transit in recent months. In April County Connection recorded nearly a 10% increase in weekday riders. In May the number of weekday riders increased by nearly 7% over the previous year. Saturday ridership is rising as well with April and May figures increasing by 14% and 19% respectively over the previous year.

 “These huge ridership increases suggest that people are turning to transit in the wake of record high fuel prices, so this is absolutely the wrong time for the Governor to divert more transit funds to the general fund. These are funds the public voted on for transportation purposes,” said Rick Ramacier, County Connection’s General Manager. “The $1.4 billion targeted in the Governor’s May revised budget will have a huge impact on service levels at a time when the public is seeking relief from the high cost of fuel. If passed, this decrease represents to County Connection a loss of between $1.5 and $2 million in State Transit Assistance funds.”

Because of the daunting state deficit, County Connection’s draft 2009 fiscal year budget assumed a reduction in funds, but nowhere near the funding cuts put forth in the May revise. The County Connection staff is considering a hiring freeze and other internal cost saving measures, but without significant changes to the Governors May revise, all other cuts will have a direct impact on passengers.

County Connection riders are voicing their concerns over the likelihood of service cuts and fare increases. Hundreds of postcards have been collected by bus operators, and will be delivered to the Governor’s office in Sacramento.

County Connection operates a fleet of 29 ft. 35 ft. and 40 ft. buses which are fully accessible to persons requiring mobility devices. Information on all bus routes and schedules is available by calling customer service at 676-7500, or on the agency website, www.cccta.org . Bus schedules are also available at BART stations, city offices, hospitals and libraries.

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